trying to figure it all out in my thirties…through yoga, running, books, travel and just living life

Looking for Podcast Inspiration? Try one of these…

I am a HUGE fan of podcasts. I love to listen to things on the move and podcasts are the perfect accompaniment to my commute or on a run. I am always telling friends about my favourites so I thought I would compile a little list for you all.

What you’ll get is not an easy path to riches but practical advice and real-life stories for entrepreneurs interviewed by Pat. Pat is very honest about his own experiences of moving towards passive income streams and points out that passive income isn’t really passive at all. It’s more about moving away from selling your time for money (most traditional employment) to being able to invest your time in projects in a way that suits you and that generates income when you’re not spending time on that project. I am a totally novice/amateur when it comes to this but I’m enjoying learning from Pat and his guests.

If you listen to one episode make it #192 where Pat introduces the different types of passive income.

What you’ll get is the indefatigably positive Jess Lively and a whole host of guests. Jess is basically a life coach who advocates living from Values-based intentions, which even as I write this sounds horribly nebulous. Jess’s show is one of my favourite podcasts because it never fails to make me feel positive and inspired; there is rarely an episode that I don’t take something from. Jess and her guest interviewees are all full of really practical advice that you incorporate into your everyday life to just make it a little better. If you are interested in tapping into your intuition or quieting that negative voice in your head, The Lively Show is a great place to start.

If you listen to one episode then listen to #137 with Jasmine Star, which had so many truth bombs going off in my head.

What you’ll get is lots of practical advice and tips on how to cultivate better habits and live a happier life. I have loved Gretchen since her book The Happiness Project and I love listening to her and her sister, Elizabeth Craft, chatting away every week about how to make really small but effective changes in your life and habits. From their ‘try this at home tip’ to overcoming happiness stumbling blocks and listener questions, there is always some little nugget to take away. I always look forward to this podcast appearing in my stream and I also recommend getting hold of one of Gretchen’s books.

If you listen to one episode#57 is a particularly good example of Happier at its best.

What you’ll get is stared at on the tube because you’re laughing out loud. To quote Sofie Hagen and Deborah Frances-White – the comic geniuses behind the podcast – “Sofie, Deborah and a special guest discuss topics “all 21st century feminists agree on” while confessing their insecurities, hypocrisies and fears that underlie their lofty principles”. It’s a great mix of important discussion of issues that affect women daily but with a big dose of comic irreverence. My favourite part of the show is “I’m a feminist but” where Sofie and Deborah share their guilty secrets which don’t exactly fit within their feminist principles. So good, for men and women!

If you listen to one episode then you are more disciplined than me but why not start with the latest one.

What you’ll get is weekly satire from The News Quiz with Miles Jupp or The Now Show with Steve Punt, Hugh Denis and guests. Political satire is one of my favourite types of comedy and the BBC do it marvellously! It’s another one that has me in fits of giggles, which is always embarrassing when I’m in public. I am not funny enough to do it justice so you’ll have to go and listen to know I am 100% right.

If you listen to one episode then it has to be the most recent; as the Now Show points out “it’s called topical for a reason”.

What you’ll get is daily news from around the world. This is my go-to current affairs programme and I listen daily. On top of that, NewsHour Extra is a weekly hour-long in-depth analysis of a particular issue from politics in Iraq, to feminism, to money and power in American sport. I have always been a current affairs geek and this is a great way to feed my habit.

If you listen to one episode then this episode with Owen Bennett Jones reporting from Baghdad for NewsHour Extra is a particularly interesting one.

If you want to follow one story for a whole season or you have been living on Mars for the past couple of years

What you’ll get other than withdrawal symptoms when the season finishes, is Sarah Koenig and the team digging into a story and following it wherever it takes them. Season One was the story of Adnan Syed who was convicted for murdering his ex-girlfriend in 1999 but has he been wrongfully convicted? Season Two, which I have to confess I didn’t enjoy quite as much as Season One but it is still fascinating, tells the story of Bowe Bergdahl who walked off his post in Afghanistan in 2009 to be captured and held by the Taliban for five years before being part of a controversial prisoner exchange in 2014. If you haven’t listened to Serial before, (a) where have you been and (b) clear a weekend because you will be hooked and binge-listening!

If you listen to one episode sorry, I can’t recommend a single episode so best start with Season One Episode One and get comfy!

If you want to know more about stuff in handy 10 minute chunks

Then listen to TEDTalks (or the TED Radio Hour for an hour-long discussion of different themes using TED contributors)

What you’ll get is the audio versions of talks from recent TED conferences and partner events. TED, originally a conference on Technology, Entertainment and Design, is now a globally phenomenon with talks about every subject under the sun. The talks are pithy, interesting and great examples of what good public speaking sounds like.

If you listen one episode then check out their pages and pick something the sounds interesting – there’s too many to choose from – or try this episode from the TED Radio Hour on tolerance.

What you’ll get is excellent in-depth reporting from The Guardian newspaper to listen to if you don’t have time to read the news often. You’ll no doubt see a bit of a theme emerging here and I make no apologies for liking this type of detailed analysis of current affairs. The podcast covers a selection of Guardian Long Reads and there are articles on all sorts of topics. This is another really good way of learning about different topics.

If you listen to one episode then this one on the history of how sugar has been viewed by nutritionists is particularly interesting and disturbing.

And there you have it, nine of my current favourite podcasts (well, current-ish as I am in Serial withdrawal since the end of Season Two). I hope you enjoy some of them as much as I do. I’m always on the look out for new podcasts so please let me know if you have any recommendations or how you got on with any of these.